The Better Homes and Gardens wicker patio set was the key piece of our porch makeover, and it suits our space beautifully.
When the first hints of spring arrive, do you head straight out to your porch or patio as soon as it's comfortable? That's me. We redid our screened-in porch last year and updated the wicker furniture.
First, I found the ideal shade of haint blue ceiling paint. Then the real turning point was choosing this Better Homes and Gardens wicker patio set.
Our old patio furniture still worked fine, but I wanted a fresher look and fell in love with the idea of swivel glider chairs. There's something special about gliding on the back porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea!
WHERE TO SHOP: Outdoor Swivel Gliders | Outdoor Sofa | Outdoor Patio Set | Patio Rug | Floral Outdoor Pillow Covers | Striped Outdoor Pillows | Large Fluted Planter
If you want sturdy, stylish and affordable wicker patio furniture, the Better Homes and Gardens outdoor line at Walmart is a great place to start. In the end we chose the BHG River Oaks Outdoor 5-Piece Conversation Set in natural tan wicker. The set is also available in dark brown.
The full BHG Outdoor Collection at Walmart also offers many other furniture styles, colors and sets. That includes the fluted planter in the corner of my patio, plus another planter in my yard. The great prices make it easy to build your own patio retreat without overspending.
Advantages of Better Homes and Gardens Patio Furniture
Although I'm describing our experience with the BHG River Oaks set, you'll find many of these same advantages and features throughout the brand's outdoor furniture collection.
All-Weather Wicker With a Natural Look
First, if you're wondering whether wicker or rattan is better, know that wicker is a weaving style seen in baskets and furniture. Rattan is a type of cane often used to make wicker pieces.
The real question is whether to choose all-weather wicker, which is usually synthetic. The alternatives are natural-fiber wicker, such as rattan, or something entirely different, such as teak.
Our BHG River Oaks set is made of weather-resistant resin wicker, a material used in most high-quality furniture built to handle all kinds of weather. People often ask how long outdoor wicker lasts. As with most things, it depends on what it's made of and how well it's cared for.
Long-Lasting Wicker Patio Furniture Pieces
With regular cleaning, good care and water-resistant covers, any type of wicker patio furniture can last five years or more, even in fully open spaces. Weather-resistant synthetic wicker has a real edge, since it's sturdier and easier to maintain than natural wicker. The pieces in our set also have rust-resistant, powder-coated steel frames.
Natural material is hard to beat for beauty, but how exposed your patio is to the elements should come first.
Even though our furniture would sit on a screened porch with little to no weather exposure, we still appreciated having that option. These features also add a lot of value for the price.
Bonus: Custom covers come with this set's pieces too, which is handy if you use it in an uncovered spot!
Stylish & Easy-Care Wicker Furniture
For the look I wanted, the natural color resembles rattan. The lighter shade also brightened the space far more than our old dark set did. More on that later.
Finally, the seat cushions use polyester fabric treated with Scotchguard to repel stains. When they do need cleaning, the covers come off!
Choosing the Right Wicker Patio Furniture for Your Space
Our screened porch is long and narrow, leaving plenty of room for the BHG River Oaks wicker set we picked. The line offers several configurations. Ours is the 5-piece set: a sofa, two swivel chairs and two nesting metal tables with marble-tiled tops.
You could also choose just the sofa and two nesting tables, or simply a pair of chairs.
The swivel chairs are the real stars of the set. If my layout were different, I would absolutely buy two sets of swivel chairs and arrange them in a square seating area.
I used the nesting tables as side tables and kept our long, low wicker table from the old set as a coffee table. That still left a good amount of space at one end of the porch, which was perfect for a bistro corner with an adorable bistro table and folding chairs I'd had my eye on.
WHERE TO SHOP: Bistro Table | Folding Bistro Chairs
Picking the Right Style of Outdoor Furniture
The Better Homes and Gardens outdoor furniture at Walmart comes in styles to suit most tastes, from traditional to coastal to boho. Start with your personal taste and style, then decide how many wicker pieces your space needs to anchor the design.
A major reason I wanted a change was simply the look. Our previous set had held up very well, even though it was almost 10 years old. But its dark finish, paired with the brick, kept the porch from feeling as light and airy as I wanted.
The natural wood tone is a lovely addition that works well with our light neutrals. Keeping the darker wicker table softens the contrast with the light hues and the darker brick. The chosen blues tone down the brick's red just enough.
Our Honest Review After One Year
After a year of regular use, I'm 1000% glad we switched from our 8-year-old, darker patio furniture to this lighter, fresher set! It sits under our screened-in back porch, so we've never covered it or put it away, and it still looks just as good as the day we bought it.
The swivel glider chairs steal the show, and they're always my first choice when I head outside to relax. They still look, feel and move beautifully.
The sofa has never been my favorite piece, in this set or our old one. I simply prefer the single seats. The sofa cushions feel a bit flatter than when we first set everything up, but overall they're still in good shape and I'd recommend them.
Closing Thoughts
As warmer weather rolls in, I'm really glad we made the big upgrade to new wicker furniture last season. Since the furniture was one of our larger purchases, this year I can focus on smaller, fun details that make this special space even more welcoming. (A new rug and pillows are on the way!)
I'd love to hear about your plans and patio upgrades! Leave a comment to share. As always, I'm happy to answer any questions about our Better Homes and Gardens wicker patio set if you don't see your question here!
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